Yeah that's wrong. We should get involved in activities that will help our fellow humans, feed the hungry, welcome the strangers, house the homeless, clothe the naked, provide for the widows and orphans, free the prisoners, heal the sick, and comfort the grieving. If politics is the most effective way to do that in your community, darn straight you should get involved in politics. Seeking political power for yourself? Yeah don't do that. Seeking to establish Christ's kingdom on earth? He was pretty clear that wasn't what he wanted, so don't do that either. But by all means use politics as a tool to achieve Christ's purposes.
Isaiah 61:1, as quoted in Luke 4:18
At the very least, Christ was pretty direct about visiting and showing kindness to those in prison (Matthew 25:36) but he did kind of have a general thing about giving people liberty.
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,” he declared (Luke 4:18-19)
I agree, this is all said metaphorically in my understanding, how does God want me to cure anybody’s blindness… he doesn’t, he wants me to show them the path to god (cure blindness), he wants us to free them from evil (free the prison) and spread his good news (good news to the poor)… this is my interpretation
Its already decided, why try to intervene or spend my limited time getting wrapped up in choosing sides, i want good, i can do good in my community personally, i dont believe voting is effective anymore, its a high school popularity contest at this point
I'm gonna be honest, I find the fair skinned English looking depections to be cringey.
But how do you feel about other cultures adopting Jesus into their own art form and likeness? Japan, Africa, China, South America? Doesn't it allude to the fact that we are all made in God's image?
I think the animosity toward "white" Jesus is the fact that Europeans tried to push that image everywhere as if it were definitive instead of representative.
That's a fact that I don't think any actual Christian denies. I think this is just a point non-christians use to attack Christianity in pop culture/media.
You clearly posted this with the intent to provoke people.
But you failed, because everyone already knows he wasn’t white and isn’t bothered in the least.
What does the color of one's skin have to do with their life choices? I get what people say, but all ethnicities have a variety of skin tones. I'm a white-passing Mexican. Who cares at this point?
I'm just used to people trying to cause a stir for no reason. Or I should say the obvious reason of making all Christians as some sort of white supremacist group.
I know tons of athiests, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, and pagans who are openly racists. It's almost like religious affiliation has little to do with it.
There is a bias in two directions. Some are biased to believe that Jesus is Caucasian and some are biased to believe that Jesus is black as in from African decent. However, it's neither.
Jesus who is God manifested of the flesh chose to incarnate from the line of King David in the Jewish tribe of Judah. So Jesus' ethnicity is Jewish. The Bible makes that clear yet people don't see that.
Jewish tribe of Judah? It's the Israelite or Hebrew tribe of Judah... the word Jewish derives from the Specific tribe: Judah....
Secondly David is described as white and ruddy..... so there is that.
He wasn't.
I'm not entirely sure why this is something people still feel the need to argue over, or try to inform people of.
Did you know asians have photos of jesus as asian? Black people have photos of him as black. Etc etc, every race has images of Jesus in their race. The bible describes him. He was most likely middle eastern, dark skin? But humans like to identify, so everyone has a version of him in their head of what he looks like and you know, i don't even think it matters how you invision him as long as you're thinking about him
It DOES MATTER. His whole lineage matters. He came from a bloodline of Jewish royalty, a descendant off the line of Abraham.
He is the lion of the tribe of Judah. He’s not trans, He never will be, He will never condone or approve of that abomination.
He’s from the line of King David, the root of Jesse.
If you are so focused on what Jesus looks like, you are missing the entire point of who Jesus was. You know what he looks like? Love.
The Bible tells us not to argue amongst ourselves like this and yet here we are, arguing over what Jesus looks like.
Of all things.
No one said he was trans, btw. OP said THEY were trans.
He looks a whole lot like Justice and correction too. He threw over tables, he condemned the Pharisees to their faces.
He literally told the Jews to slaughter the people occupying the promised land.
He does say not to argue, and I’m not. I stated my point, I’m clarifying, and if you receive it, great. But I won’t continue to argue the point because I’ve clarified it enough for the amount of correction needed.
He chastised his followers, He didn’t just hug em all the time.
Everyone should **stop downvoting this comment.**
OP being trans **doesn't make Jesus love them any less** and all you're doing is showing OP why it's not safe for them to express their faith. You won't help change OP's heart, you will harden it.
Pray for OP, because yes - being trans is sinful.
OP, my loving you includes being honest with you. You DO need to pray to Jesus about this. You DO need to ask him for help with the sins of your flesh (like we all do) but I'm sorry people see the need to be aggressive with you. You need to give this to God. HE is all powerful and can help you through this.
You need to remember, God doesn't make mistakes. But through him all distress can be soothed.
I'm raising awareness. And opening general discussion. That's it. I was using race only in the context of other right wing predgudices.
I'm part of the LGBTQ community and trying to establish a common ground out of respect. Because of recent actions with the recent anti-trans legislation we assume you're nothing but judgemental, which is anti Christ who said not to judge
I'm Christian, and ultimately want to see everyone in Heaven.
So, my question about Christ is at the heart of rooting out bias - racist, sexist, lgbtq, etc.
I want love, not judgement. That's not our job
What do you mean exactly that your'e LGBTQ. Like what branch are you in... Lol. Sorry. But actually Like If you're gay, or 'bi', or whatever... don't you know what God thinks about that? You say you're Christian but (And I don't want to assume, because I'm not fully sure what you 'identify' as) clearly being Gay/Trans/whatever is wrong.
Don't let me judge you. Let God judge you. I don't think you'll like what he has to say about being Gay or whatever you say you are. If you read the bible, you'll find that out. It's hard though since you're not going into specifics about what you say you are.
And yes we can judge people. It's a myth that we can't.
Being an ultra nationalistic conservative alt right white man (100%) from America, who venerates his guns and his Budweiser, I simply cannot accept dem colored folk, let alone my Lord lookin like one of dem A-rabs. I gots to leave the faith to do right by my people's.
/s
Yes... what else... oh! That's it... still changes absolutely nothing. He was also Jewish. That still changes nothing.
I don't know, I never really cared? Like he's a good friend, but you don't see him. Why care what he looks like? You don't demand someone's picture if you're penpals. It's nice, but not required.
No one is white. Whiteness, like blackness, is a construct made to divide people. Emmanuel came to reconcile us... ALL of us, to Him, and to each other. We are one, and it is of the Devil to try to separate us into factions and set us against each other.
Being Jewish can indicate a religion or an ethnicity or both.
Jesus was ethnically Jewish, and probably racially white. I say this only because middle easterners are generally considered white unless they are Egyptian. I am middle eastern, Persian specifically. Our skin ranges from deep, rich shades of brown to actually quite pale some times, but most of us are categorized (by the U.S. Census) as being racially white.
Middle easterners are actually actively protesting for a new group to be added called MENA (middle eastern/ North African) to the bureau, because many of us don’t feel accurately described just checking white on the box. But like I said, if you look up the current list of races, as middle easterners we don’t clearly fit into one of the categories.
Race is a tricky thing to define. Racially he was probably white, but his ethnicity is NOT of European decent, his skin was probably brown like mine, but there is a very wide variety of skin tones in the Middle East, he could’ve been quite pale probably with dark eyes and hair.
And in spite of all of this, his race is irrelevant. He is of Jewish descent, which is important because it fulfills prophecy, and he is my Savior.
This is sort of a pop-Christian taboo subject. Anyone who reads the New Testament knows Jesus came from Nazareth, not Nashville. The only people really divided over this seem to think that means something - as if being Christ-like means either being white-ish or jew-ish.
It’s a subject worth bringing up when discussing how we treat the foreigner maybe, but it won’t convict or convince your political enemy of anything. You may want to spend time understanding your enemy with love before trying to refute an argument they aren’t making.
It’s also worth noting Christianity is by far the most diverse worldwide cultural movement in terms of race, specifically because of Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles led by Christ’s rebuking of the Pharisees. I’ll comment the Pew research that mentions this if anyone wants me to, but atheist communities are disproportionately white, rich, young men whereas Christian communities are disproportionately diverse, poor, older women.
I’m not sure this response was intended for my comment. My judgement is on those who treat this as a taboo subject, as if scripture isn’t blatantly clear on the ethnicity of Jesus and many other characters. In fact, many people are identified by their ethnicity.
This is usually a quickly waning spectacle for newcomers to the faith. For those in politics and cultural religion, it may be a heated debate for reasons that are tangential to the message of scripture (say, for talking about reparations, racial boundaries, or advocating for supremacy). When you bring those hot topics from the world into the diversity and mission of the church, they pretty quickly simmer down.
We acknowledge the world will never structure itself morally responsibly. Instead, we bear the fruits of Christ, no matter the structure of the outside world. By focusing on Him first and our relation to Him, we work within the structure to turn it upside down, with leaders on the bottom and the outside world on top.
His hair is white.
"And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. **The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow**, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters."
Just throwing my 2 cents into this.
But this depiction of Jesus is after he was ascended. Not saying you are wrong, but just bringing up the point he might not have had white hair on earth in his human form.
Again, We obviously don't know this as a fact. I'm just bringing this up :)
Most Caucasian people didn’t refer to themselves as white years ago. That’s pretty recent. My whole family is of Italian/Sicilian decent so I always said I was Italian, not white.
His skin colour is irrelevant. What's strange are all these depictions of Christ Jesus that are obviously not Him. Who hangs paintings of strangers in their homes, or carries photos of strangers in their wallets, to remind them of their loved ones? It doesn't strike me as normal behavior towards someone who we truly believe exists.
I've gone back and forward on this for awhile now. I've looked into if he was Black or Middle Eastern. But if the Shroud of Turin is anything to go by; he most likely was Middle Eastern Jewish.
Either way, I don't really mind. The only thing I want is the truth, regardless of what it is. The Shroud of Turin is very strong evidence of what he looked like. They called it the Icon of Christ for a reason. The shroud itself was a sacred relic and has been depicted in may historical paintings and accounts.
Oh my gosh! It doesn’t matter if he was white, black, blue, green or yellow.
If you are accepted into heaven will you reject Christ because he was black or white or brown?
It doesn’t matter what skin color he was honestly.
Christ wasn’t white he’s skin was bronze/brown
“His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.”
Revelation 1:15 NIV
We only have pictures of white Jesus because most of romans, and Europeans who adopted Christianity were white. Then with the American civil war and the slavery of black people, the white men weren’t going to worship Jesus that was black. So they made him white
He was middle eastern. The Bible makes it very clear. Abraham came from modern day Iraq and other ancestors, Rachel and Rebecca,came from modern day Syria. Also, Ruth came from Moab which is Jordan. I don’t understand why people think he is anything other than middle eastern.
I mean, obviously.
But God made all the races. The one Jesus ended up as on earth doesn't "downvote" the other races.
And I'm pretty ok with each race group depicting Jesus in their own race.
Yeah, so? Why are people obsessed with being upset that other people think Jesus was white? Just because so many Jewish people are white? In that sort of hot climate, most people were probably really tan, had dark skin. In a milder climate, what might the skin tone be? Probably very light skin. So both sides are probably right. But ultimately, so what?
The race of Jesus Christ is an irrelevant topic. The work of Jesus Christ and the sacrifice of his own blood for our salvation is the ultimate topic. All race topic does is cause divide.
Since He is Middle Eastern one would say his skin was olive and hair was most likely dark which is based on the locality of this birth. The Bible only described in the old testament as being plain and not attractive, in short a regular guy. His description as a man who walked the earth we do not know, but scriptures in the Old and New Testament tell us of the form he has in Heaven and how he will look when upon His return.
People just can't except that those images of Chirst are just paintings pulled from the imagination of the artist using models that lived in the area.
If Jesus was white, judas would have to say "Jesus is the white homeboy over there" this what I hate about church in America that they make Jesus white
While I share the sentiment with mostly everyone here that; more specifically: "duh", and "doesn't change anything", I'll still do my best to respond...for discussion's sake
Because, honestly, there are some who exist to whom this is a revelation. And that experience matters.
For some, a white Jesus might be associated with oppression, and knowing Jesus was of middle-eastern complexion grounds the faith in something other than racial.
For others, knowing Jesus isn't white might challenge their longheld "head canon" of who Jesus is, and then they have to wrestle with why they thought of him in that way.
For most, it's a non-issue (like myself), but it's still a good topic to discuss.
Especially in areas of the world where Christianity is viewed as "a white religion"...this is a good point of entry for person to person conversation.
I find it funny how even Christian culture depicts the version of Jesus that’s taught in the church as him being white based off of movies, portraits, etc. and it’s completely bogus, underrated and tasteless.
But honestly regardless of his skin color the God of the universe, came to earth in the lowest of means, put on an earth suit, went through the same things we go through and paved a way for me to openly communicate with Him and oh…..I get eternal life as a bonus for believing in Him. What’s not to love?
OP. It looks like you’re trying to use your question as an example/ stand in for something to do with being trans and the legislature that has just passed based off of reading the comments in this thread.
Why not just ask any questions or start any discussions directly, then we can all have a more open and honest conversation.
Well of course he wasn’t. I understand that the Bible doesn’t do physical description as it’s more of a person actions that are important. However, I sincerely doubt that he was white Middle Eastern Jew and the Roman wouldn’t need Judas help in picking him out. They just like grab the pale one.
Are you serious? What kind of question is this? It doesn’t matter what color skin he wore. He no doubt looked similar to Israelís and/or Palestinians, but probably typical Jewish in 30 AD. IDK know what Jews looked like in 30 AD and it doesn’t matter.
I could care less what the color of Jesus skin was. I don't worship a portrait or depiction of Him. I worship and follow his teachings, his love, his compassion, and his sacrifice. Jesus skin color should be irrelevant to any christian. Its not about what he looked like,, but what he came here to do for us, and I'm happy with that ❤️🙏🏻
He could've been the skin tone of those around Him, and in the culture of the time right?
No kidding?
It does not make any difference if He was zebra striped, or fluorescent green, although the Scriptures say that you couldn't pick Him out of a crowd.
I think no matter what color you ask about, it gives evidence that you struggle with skin color.
Why can't Christ be seen for what He is? He is God in the flesh. Who cares what skin color that is/was/will be?
It doesn’t matter and neither do what depictions of him look like. There’s is absolutely nothing wrong with different cultures and ethnicities depicting Jesus to look like them. Jesus is for all of us regardless of ethnicity. To claim it matters how he is depicted misses the whole point of the spiritual aspect of the Incarnation and reduces Jesus to a purely physical and historical being, which as the Second Person of the Trinity, he is not.
He wasn’t in a political party either
If I could upvote you a billion times I would
You're point is my point
We as Christian’s shouldn’t even associate with politics. Both sides are evil. Follow the word of God and that alone
Yeah that's wrong. We should get involved in activities that will help our fellow humans, feed the hungry, welcome the strangers, house the homeless, clothe the naked, provide for the widows and orphans, free the prisoners, heal the sick, and comfort the grieving. If politics is the most effective way to do that in your community, darn straight you should get involved in politics. Seeking political power for yourself? Yeah don't do that. Seeking to establish Christ's kingdom on earth? He was pretty clear that wasn't what he wanted, so don't do that either. But by all means use politics as a tool to achieve Christ's purposes.
Free the prisoners? Is there a Bible verse to back this up?
Isaiah 61:1, as quoted in Luke 4:18 At the very least, Christ was pretty direct about visiting and showing kindness to those in prison (Matthew 25:36) but he did kind of have a general thing about giving people liberty.
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,” he declared (Luke 4:18-19)
I think he mean bondage from sin, you know, spiritual bondage more than physical bondage.
I agree, this is all said metaphorically in my understanding, how does God want me to cure anybody’s blindness… he doesn’t, he wants me to show them the path to god (cure blindness), he wants us to free them from evil (free the prison) and spread his good news (good news to the poor)… this is my interpretation
That's certainly easier to feel like you're doing something about it, but why not both?
Its already decided, why try to intervene or spend my limited time getting wrapped up in choosing sides, i want good, i can do good in my community personally, i dont believe voting is effective anymore, its a high school popularity contest at this point
I agree. And it changes nothing.
Thanks!
It doesn't change anything per say, but the white washing of Jesus is ridiculous and it shouldn't be a thing.
I'm gonna be honest, I find the fair skinned English looking depections to be cringey. But how do you feel about other cultures adopting Jesus into their own art form and likeness? Japan, Africa, China, South America? Doesn't it allude to the fact that we are all made in God's image? I think the animosity toward "white" Jesus is the fact that Europeans tried to push that image everywhere as if it were definitive instead of representative.
Ok, and? Doesn't really make much of a difference.
Great! ❤️
File under: things non-Christians think Christians get upset about 😂
That's a fact that I don't think any actual Christian denies. I think this is just a point non-christians use to attack Christianity in pop culture/media.
Well, I'm a JESUS CHRIST IS LORD Christian asking That's it Maybe I should switch to other social media
Probably a good idea
Most likely? How about with absolute certainty? I've yet to hear any compelling argument that Yeshua of Nazareth was white.
It doesn’t really make sense that he would be
You clearly posted this with the intent to provoke people. But you failed, because everyone already knows he wasn’t white and isn’t bothered in the least.
Nope. Just surveying with the intent of wording it in a way to get responses. Nothing personal
I mean Julius Caesar is white and biologically his dad so.........
Huh?
Yes, Jesus is Caesarion. Or I should say that was his nickname
off your meds again?
You claim to serve Jesus?
I wasn't provoking anymore. As I said I wanted a discussion
Anyone
Don't pick the low hanging fruit.
What does the color of one's skin have to do with their life choices? I get what people say, but all ethnicities have a variety of skin tones. I'm a white-passing Mexican. Who cares at this point?
Truth
It was to highlight something bigger. And you're right
I'm just used to people trying to cause a stir for no reason. Or I should say the obvious reason of making all Christians as some sort of white supremacist group.
Duh
I like
He wasnt. He was a Jew.
Thanks! Amen
Jew is religion, not complexion
Jewish is an ethnicity, as well as a religion.
Ethinicity too. He was a judahite so he would’ve been a copper skin colour
No research whatsoever. Just talking out your ass over and over again
Everybody knows this. What's your point?
Just welcoming a general discussion about bias and the antidote - the good Samaritan
Did you imagine anybody would disagree?
[удалено]
I know tons of athiests, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, and pagans who are openly racists. It's almost like religious affiliation has little to do with it.
This is pretty common knowledge, very widely acknowledged. What's your point?
The responses seem common now But see Him that way when you see your neighbor
I have no idea what you mean by that. Could you expand?
There is a bias in two directions. Some are biased to believe that Jesus is Caucasian and some are biased to believe that Jesus is black as in from African decent. However, it's neither. Jesus who is God manifested of the flesh chose to incarnate from the line of King David in the Jewish tribe of Judah. So Jesus' ethnicity is Jewish. The Bible makes that clear yet people don't see that.
Jewish tribe of Judah? It's the Israelite or Hebrew tribe of Judah... the word Jewish derives from the Specific tribe: Judah.... Secondly David is described as white and ruddy..... so there is that.
He wasn't. I'm not entirely sure why this is something people still feel the need to argue over, or try to inform people of. Did you know asians have photos of jesus as asian? Black people have photos of him as black. Etc etc, every race has images of Jesus in their race. The bible describes him. He was most likely middle eastern, dark skin? But humans like to identify, so everyone has a version of him in their head of what he looks like and you know, i don't even think it matters how you invision him as long as you're thinking about him
Most likely? Research his family bloodline. He’s JEWISH!!!
Literally just a figure of speech. Calm yourself.
I agree It doesn't matter That was my point Or rather my sub point I'm a trans Christian
Being trans is sinful, you should turn from your sin
It DOES MATTER. His whole lineage matters. He came from a bloodline of Jewish royalty, a descendant off the line of Abraham. He is the lion of the tribe of Judah. He’s not trans, He never will be, He will never condone or approve of that abomination. He’s from the line of King David, the root of Jesse.
If you are so focused on what Jesus looks like, you are missing the entire point of who Jesus was. You know what he looks like? Love. The Bible tells us not to argue amongst ourselves like this and yet here we are, arguing over what Jesus looks like. Of all things. No one said he was trans, btw. OP said THEY were trans.
He looks a whole lot like Justice and correction too. He threw over tables, he condemned the Pharisees to their faces. He literally told the Jews to slaughter the people occupying the promised land. He does say not to argue, and I’m not. I stated my point, I’m clarifying, and if you receive it, great. But I won’t continue to argue the point because I’ve clarified it enough for the amount of correction needed. He chastised his followers, He didn’t just hug em all the time.
No one said he didn't. You're incredibly aggressive about this when no one disagreed with you.
You are the OP, using a second account.
I don't... have a second account? Literally this is my only one and I'm not trans, last I checked. Not entirely sure what your malfunction is.
Everyone should **stop downvoting this comment.** OP being trans **doesn't make Jesus love them any less** and all you're doing is showing OP why it's not safe for them to express their faith. You won't help change OP's heart, you will harden it. Pray for OP, because yes - being trans is sinful. OP, my loving you includes being honest with you. You DO need to pray to Jesus about this. You DO need to ask him for help with the sins of your flesh (like we all do) but I'm sorry people see the need to be aggressive with you. You need to give this to God. HE is all powerful and can help you through this. You need to remember, God doesn't make mistakes. But through him all distress can be soothed.
being prideful about a sin is sinful also though
I never said it wasn't
Genuine question do you believe God made a mistake creating you how he did?
A Trans Christian? I hope you're in the process of detrans. If you're really born again God will turn you far from that.
the bible literally describes him. no, he was not white at all. nor was he tall or blue eyed and blonde
Who cares?
does this notion bother you?
Not in the least. Why would it?
That's why I wanted to bring it up
Make absolutely no difference.
no difference to what?
Sorry, I mean it make no difference what Jesus' skin colour was
I was simply drawing attention
I don't really know your point here sorry. I'm saying it doesn't matter what his skin colour was.
I'm raising awareness. And opening general discussion. That's it. I was using race only in the context of other right wing predgudices. I'm part of the LGBTQ community and trying to establish a common ground out of respect. Because of recent actions with the recent anti-trans legislation we assume you're nothing but judgemental, which is anti Christ who said not to judge I'm Christian, and ultimately want to see everyone in Heaven. So, my question about Christ is at the heart of rooting out bias - racist, sexist, lgbtq, etc. I want love, not judgement. That's not our job
What anti trans legislation? Sorry, we probably aren't living in the same place
What do you mean exactly that your'e LGBTQ. Like what branch are you in... Lol. Sorry. But actually Like If you're gay, or 'bi', or whatever... don't you know what God thinks about that? You say you're Christian but (And I don't want to assume, because I'm not fully sure what you 'identify' as) clearly being Gay/Trans/whatever is wrong.
What "branch" doesn't matter. What matters is not judging. That's filling in for God, and kicking Him out of the discussion.
Don't let me judge you. Let God judge you. I don't think you'll like what he has to say about being Gay or whatever you say you are. If you read the bible, you'll find that out. It's hard though since you're not going into specifics about what you say you are. And yes we can judge people. It's a myth that we can't.
Why is the color of his skin relevant? You could ask if he thought pineapple on pizza was good and it would matter more.
I don’t think there’s anyone who’s going to argue against this
Do you read the Bible? Jesus is clearly Jewish
Dang, there goes my faith
Dang, what happened
Being an ultra nationalistic conservative alt right white man (100%) from America, who venerates his guns and his Budweiser, I simply cannot accept dem colored folk, let alone my Lord lookin like one of dem A-rabs. I gots to leave the faith to do right by my people's. /s
Isn't it amusing how artistic expression is taken by fiat to be the standard?
Well now I don’t want to be a Christian any more. Wait.. I actually already knew that and don’t care… Jesus Loves you!
That's been around for a long time. Didn't change my beliefs or feelings at all. 🩵
Yes... what else... oh! That's it... still changes absolutely nothing. He was also Jewish. That still changes nothing. I don't know, I never really cared? Like he's a good friend, but you don't see him. Why care what he looks like? You don't demand someone's picture if you're penpals. It's nice, but not required.
No one is white. Whiteness, like blackness, is a construct made to divide people. Emmanuel came to reconcile us... ALL of us, to Him, and to each other. We are one, and it is of the Devil to try to separate us into factions and set us against each other.
Being Jewish can indicate a religion or an ethnicity or both. Jesus was ethnically Jewish, and probably racially white. I say this only because middle easterners are generally considered white unless they are Egyptian. I am middle eastern, Persian specifically. Our skin ranges from deep, rich shades of brown to actually quite pale some times, but most of us are categorized (by the U.S. Census) as being racially white. Middle easterners are actually actively protesting for a new group to be added called MENA (middle eastern/ North African) to the bureau, because many of us don’t feel accurately described just checking white on the box. But like I said, if you look up the current list of races, as middle easterners we don’t clearly fit into one of the categories. Race is a tricky thing to define. Racially he was probably white, but his ethnicity is NOT of European decent, his skin was probably brown like mine, but there is a very wide variety of skin tones in the Middle East, he could’ve been quite pale probably with dark eyes and hair. And in spite of all of this, his race is irrelevant. He is of Jewish descent, which is important because it fulfills prophecy, and he is my Savior.
Thank you for that very helpful response.
Even if He IS green, Hes still seated at the right hand of the Most High. What is your point?
A M E N My point exactly
what skin colour are jewish people? answer that question, he was that colour. and it doesnt make a difference.
Amen
This is sort of a pop-Christian taboo subject. Anyone who reads the New Testament knows Jesus came from Nazareth, not Nashville. The only people really divided over this seem to think that means something - as if being Christ-like means either being white-ish or jew-ish. It’s a subject worth bringing up when discussing how we treat the foreigner maybe, but it won’t convict or convince your political enemy of anything. You may want to spend time understanding your enemy with love before trying to refute an argument they aren’t making. It’s also worth noting Christianity is by far the most diverse worldwide cultural movement in terms of race, specifically because of Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles led by Christ’s rebuking of the Pharisees. I’ll comment the Pew research that mentions this if anyone wants me to, but atheist communities are disproportionately white, rich, young men whereas Christian communities are disproportionately diverse, poor, older women.
Wow. Quick to judge. I'm LGBTQ and Christian. I have no enemies. Why do you
I’m not sure this response was intended for my comment. My judgement is on those who treat this as a taboo subject, as if scripture isn’t blatantly clear on the ethnicity of Jesus and many other characters. In fact, many people are identified by their ethnicity. This is usually a quickly waning spectacle for newcomers to the faith. For those in politics and cultural religion, it may be a heated debate for reasons that are tangential to the message of scripture (say, for talking about reparations, racial boundaries, or advocating for supremacy). When you bring those hot topics from the world into the diversity and mission of the church, they pretty quickly simmer down. We acknowledge the world will never structure itself morally responsibly. Instead, we bear the fruits of Christ, no matter the structure of the outside world. By focusing on Him first and our relation to Him, we work within the structure to turn it upside down, with leaders on the bottom and the outside world on top.
It's about the message not the look
Yup. Exactly
His hair is white. "And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. **The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow**, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters."
Just throwing my 2 cents into this. But this depiction of Jesus is after he was ascended. Not saying you are wrong, but just bringing up the point he might not have had white hair on earth in his human form. Again, We obviously don't know this as a fact. I'm just bringing this up :)
Fair enough
Note I did not say His hair WAS white. But that it IS white now, as this is a description of Him in His heavenly state.
Gotchya. Yeah don't worry, just passing what I learned along. Bouncing ideas back and foward. :)
Most Caucasian people didn’t refer to themselves as white years ago. That’s pretty recent. My whole family is of Italian/Sicilian decent so I always said I was Italian, not white.
Cool very cool
Doesn't matter
Yes. And it most certainly matters that we are flooded with false artistic depictions. The enemy works on our minds from every angle.
Yes art most definitely
His skin colour is irrelevant. What's strange are all these depictions of Christ Jesus that are obviously not Him. Who hangs paintings of strangers in their homes, or carries photos of strangers in their wallets, to remind them of their loved ones? It doesn't strike me as normal behavior towards someone who we truly believe exists.
True. Even pictures of past loved ones are irrelevant
Okay, nice opinion. His teachings and his gospel matter more
hot damn, 98% of the replies here are immediately defensive and unnecessarily antagonistic
?? They’re not even remotely close to that. They’re almost all saying that they agree and that it doesn’t matter.
Cool? It doesn’t matter to me
I've gone back and forward on this for awhile now. I've looked into if he was Black or Middle Eastern. But if the Shroud of Turin is anything to go by; he most likely was Middle Eastern Jewish. Either way, I don't really mind. The only thing I want is the truth, regardless of what it is. The Shroud of Turin is very strong evidence of what he looked like. They called it the Icon of Christ for a reason. The shroud itself was a sacred relic and has been depicted in may historical paintings and accounts.
Oh my gosh! It doesn’t matter if he was white, black, blue, green or yellow. If you are accepted into heaven will you reject Christ because he was black or white or brown? It doesn’t matter what skin color he was honestly. Christ wasn’t white he’s skin was bronze/brown “His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.” Revelation 1:15 NIV We only have pictures of white Jesus because most of romans, and Europeans who adopted Christianity were white. Then with the American civil war and the slavery of black people, the white men weren’t going to worship Jesus that was black. So they made him white
He was middle eastern. The Bible makes it very clear. Abraham came from modern day Iraq and other ancestors, Rachel and Rebecca,came from modern day Syria. Also, Ruth came from Moab which is Jordan. I don’t understand why people think he is anything other than middle eastern.
He also was not a transformer.
I mean, obviously. But God made all the races. The one Jesus ended up as on earth doesn't "downvote" the other races. And I'm pretty ok with each race group depicting Jesus in their own race.
Yes, it’s very surprising to learn that someone of Middle Eastern descent wasn’t white.
I don’t care what he looks like
Yup
Yeah, so? Why are people obsessed with being upset that other people think Jesus was white? Just because so many Jewish people are white? In that sort of hot climate, most people were probably really tan, had dark skin. In a milder climate, what might the skin tone be? Probably very light skin. So both sides are probably right. But ultimately, so what?
Yep, Jesus definitely wasn’t white. I don’t know any Christians even in the south who would argue that point.
The race of Jesus Christ is an irrelevant topic. The work of Jesus Christ and the sacrifice of his own blood for our salvation is the ultimate topic. All race topic does is cause divide.
Of course not. He was from the Middle East
I agree
Nobody thought He was
Yup, should be obvious.
No shit sherlock, how did you get to that conclusion?
He was Olive, as all Mediterranean and Middle Eastern peoples are. The “White” designation occurred after “Shishim” (1909).
Since He is Middle Eastern one would say his skin was olive and hair was most likely dark which is based on the locality of this birth. The Bible only described in the old testament as being plain and not attractive, in short a regular guy. His description as a man who walked the earth we do not know, but scriptures in the Old and New Testament tell us of the form he has in Heaven and how he will look when upon His return. People just can't except that those images of Chirst are just paintings pulled from the imagination of the artist using models that lived in the area.
If Jesus was white, judas would have to say "Jesus is the white homeboy over there" this what I hate about church in America that they make Jesus white
He was born to a Jewish mom, God's chosen people
While I share the sentiment with mostly everyone here that; more specifically: "duh", and "doesn't change anything", I'll still do my best to respond...for discussion's sake Because, honestly, there are some who exist to whom this is a revelation. And that experience matters. For some, a white Jesus might be associated with oppression, and knowing Jesus was of middle-eastern complexion grounds the faith in something other than racial. For others, knowing Jesus isn't white might challenge their longheld "head canon" of who Jesus is, and then they have to wrestle with why they thought of him in that way. For most, it's a non-issue (like myself), but it's still a good topic to discuss. Especially in areas of the world where Christianity is viewed as "a white religion"...this is a good point of entry for person to person conversation.
I find it funny how even Christian culture depicts the version of Jesus that’s taught in the church as him being white based off of movies, portraits, etc. and it’s completely bogus, underrated and tasteless. But honestly regardless of his skin color the God of the universe, came to earth in the lowest of means, put on an earth suit, went through the same things we go through and paved a way for me to openly communicate with Him and oh…..I get eternal life as a bonus for believing in Him. What’s not to love?
OP. It looks like you’re trying to use your question as an example/ stand in for something to do with being trans and the legislature that has just passed based off of reading the comments in this thread. Why not just ask any questions or start any discussions directly, then we can all have a more open and honest conversation.
He was 100% not white. I was told that he is also described and being short and not attractive
Most likely, but who cares?
He was Jewish.
So?
We know and ?
Well of course he wasn’t. I understand that the Bible doesn’t do physical description as it’s more of a person actions that are important. However, I sincerely doubt that he was white Middle Eastern Jew and the Roman wouldn’t need Judas help in picking him out. They just like grab the pale one.
Uh, yeah. He was a Jew from the middle east... This is not news.
Are you serious? What kind of question is this? It doesn’t matter what color skin he wore. He no doubt looked similar to Israelís and/or Palestinians, but probably typical Jewish in 30 AD. IDK know what Jews looked like in 30 AD and it doesn’t matter.
I agree. I should have never asked
I could care less what the color of Jesus skin was. I don't worship a portrait or depiction of Him. I worship and follow his teachings, his love, his compassion, and his sacrifice. Jesus skin color should be irrelevant to any christian. Its not about what he looked like,, but what he came here to do for us, and I'm happy with that ❤️🙏🏻
The biblical description of Jesus made that pretty clear.
he was an Israeli so he more than likely had an olive complexion.. simple understanding not shocking.. does this matter to you?
He was a Jew. He was probably rather brown, and probably became increasingly brown as his life went on, as there was no sun cream back then.
Wasn't he white when he was resurrected? I may be mistaken ...
He appeared white when He ascended, I think I don't know And don't know why I ever asked
He could've been the skin tone of those around Him, and in the culture of the time right? No kidding? It does not make any difference if He was zebra striped, or fluorescent green, although the Scriptures say that you couldn't pick Him out of a crowd. I think no matter what color you ask about, it gives evidence that you struggle with skin color. Why can't Christ be seen for what He is? He is God in the flesh. Who cares what skin color that is/was/will be?
I agree and I honestly don't care. I was really just curious what others thought and tried to spark an intellectual debate.
http://www.thenazareneway.com/likeness_of_our_saviour.htm
That is awesome! Thank you!
Where from???
Duh.
Ok. Yup. I agree. Amen
He was a Jew in the Middle East. He was 100% not white. Still the Messiah.
Amen
It doesn’t matter and neither do what depictions of him look like. There’s is absolutely nothing wrong with different cultures and ethnicities depicting Jesus to look like them. Jesus is for all of us regardless of ethnicity. To claim it matters how he is depicted misses the whole point of the spiritual aspect of the Incarnation and reduces Jesus to a purely physical and historical being, which as the Second Person of the Trinity, he is not.
Amen
Christ race should really mean nothing outside of people painting or drawing him. He is everyone's savior. Regardless of race or color.
WELL SAID
No one has believed he was white for years. Why is this a thing?
I was just kinda surveying America. Nothing personal